Match Thread: Watford v Southampton

The Match Thread
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View attachment 10912

WATFORD 0 v 3 SOUTHAMPTON
Richard Lambert - goal 13 mín. 0:1
Richard Lambert - goal 21 mín. 0:2
Jos Hooiveld - caution 54 mín.
Jason Puncheon - caution 66 mín.
Richard Lambert - penalty 72 mín. 0:3
Attendance: 13.424 (1,955 Saints)

The Hornets welcome the Saints for this Saturday’s match. Both teams faced potentially difficult opponents last Saturday, for different reasons, with very different outcomes one successful and the other, we will not dwell on Watford’s performance in south London. Southampton top of the league until West Ham United passed them with a big win at Blackpool.

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WATFORD

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Guys, guys, the goal is that way

• The Manager – Sean Dyche about the Palace game

“It was a team who haven’t won all year against a team who have been on a fantastic run and found it tough to go again. After two really tough, emotional games against Forest - for obvious reasons - and a fantastic turnaround to beat Leicester, I thought we were a bit flat and I sensed it before the game.”

“We tried to make sure the mentality was right because we are a strong group mentally and obviously that has carried us well, building from an awkward start to the season. That is a real reminder for us without taking anything away from Palace, because they were up for it today with the way they played and the manner they went about the win.”

• The Hornets

Watford welcome Tomasz Mirosław Kuszcak who has joined from our feeder club until the end of the season and Marcello Trotta has also joined the club on loan from Fulham for one month, both new players could make their first appearances on Saturday. As usual Stephen McGinn’s knee and Martin Tylor’s toe are the only injuries bothering the doctors. Troy Deeney will have have a fitness test, but Sean Murray and Lee Hodson are fit to play.

Today's team

Tomasz Kuszczak
Llooyd Doyley, Adrian Mariappa, Nyron Nosworthy, Carl Dickinson
Prince Buaben for Mark Yeates - 84 mín., John Eustace (c), Jonathan Hogg, Chris Iwelumo for Alex Kacaniklic - 80 mín.
Troy Deeney, Joe Garner for Marcello Trotta - 59 mín.

Substitutes: Scott Loach (GK), Dale Bennett, Prince Buaben, Chris Iwelumo, Joe Garner

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Tomasz Kuszczak will be competition for Scott Loach

SOUTHAMPTON

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A big picture of Nigel Adkins as he was top of the league when I started writing

• The Manager – Nigel Adkins about the rest of the season.

“We have fourteen games of the season left and everyone has to be ready to go out and give everything for the cause, because it isn't about the eleven players it is about the whole squad.”

“If you look at the top ten they all have to play each other and every game is going to be a tough one and have a meaning to it. You are either going to be playing a team at the bottom of the league fighting to stay up or at the top who are trying to go up.”

• The Saints

Southampton have no players currently serving suspensions and from my digging in the Saints website no injuries. A surprise for the fans is Danny Butterfield may play after a long time missing because of a hamstring injury. Guly del Prado, Jos Hooiveld and Frazer Richardson will have tests to see if they are fit to play before the game.

Today's team
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Kelvin Davis
Daniel Butterfield, Jose Miguel da Rocha Fonte (c), Jos Hooiveld - caution 54 mín., Daniel Fox
Morgan Schneiderlin, Jack Cork, Dean Hammond for Richard Chaplow - 77 mín., Jason Puncheon - caution 66 mín. for Adam Lallana - 29 mín.
David Connolly for Richard Lambert - goal 13 mín. goal 21 mín. and penalty 72 mín - 84 mín., Tadanari Lee

Substitutes: Billy Sharp, Dean Hammond, Aaron Martin, David Connolly, Jason Puncheon

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Billy Sharp hopes to continue his exploits at Doncaster

Update on the Saints’ latest statistics
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Who will win?
Watford’s run of four games without losing came to a spectacular end last weekend, even with tht they are still recently scoring more or less two goals in each game. The loss of Marvin Sordell does not seem to have harmed the club. Southampton has just carried on where they stopped last season, except their form away from St Marys is not quite as good.

There is a history in Watford: Southampton have a terrible record when visiting Watford. The locals have 9 wins to Southampton’s one in their 17 matches. Watford have 30 goals to Southamptons 15. There have been three cup matches as well, all won by Watford. The best performance by the Saints, the only game they won was a 0:1 win in March 1988, although they scored two in a 2:2 draw and in a 5:2 cup defeat. Watford have their 7:1 League Cup win to remember.

Akureyri's Prediction: 1:1 After the disaster at Selhurst Park Watford wil be trying a lot harder this week. Southampton for all the claims of not underestimating their opponents will and will be lucky to escape this match with a point.


skál/skål/cheers/salut

Don't forget
Drop in for some match chat at The Hornet's Nest II.
Travellers may want some information about Watford.
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I feel we need to win this match as it is getting very tight at the top. I will therefore be optimistic and predict a 0-1 win for saints

 

Think we are starting to get a bit of form and consistancy back so I will opt for a Saints win, two nil.
Was at the 5-2 defeat in the cup. A lot had happened to both clubs in that time.

 

1-1 for me. I have a sneaky suspicion we'll be near exiting a playoff position after these next two tricky games, hope I'm wrong.

 

Slightly premature..?

 

Nice thread with lots of pictures for the hard of reading. We've regained our early league form and have the services of Lee and Sharp. Jos has got the bit between his teeth and says he wants to beat Lambert's goal tally Prediction 3.1 to Saints.

 

Got a feeling Lambert will be back in the goals. Saints are in the mood right now - 4-1 Saints for me

 

"...will be lucky to escape this match with a point."-why's that?
I think it will be 1-3.

 

I'm going all Gary Neville with my prediction and say that it could a win or a draw for either side.

 

I really do not know what to think of this. I can see every outcome being plausible. We are pretty strong at home and having been on a run of form before the Palarse game so i can see us turning Saints over like we did Leicester (barring the officials performance of course), but i can also see it being a rout after our poor showing at Selherst park and our shortage of strikers. But it could also be a dull draw. I have predicted a 2-1 win for the 'orns, simply cos i cannot predict a loss.

It will be a great match hopefully and i will be arriving early as there are some autographs i would love to get!! Billy Sharp again, Adam Lallana, Rickie Lambert and Nigel Adkins.

 

I'd love to get Nigel Adkins autograph.

 

The referee is Tony Bates whoever he is

 

I don't think we will have the scores of the first three results in Watford v Southampton I saw.

Southampton 4-0 Watford
Watford 7-1 Southampton
Southampton 1-4 Watford

Those were the days.

I'll go for point or points for Watford. I can't see them losing, not after last week they wouldn't dare!

 

another great thread, thanks Ak .

Southampton was very special for us this season, being as it was the Hornets on tour meet..it was just the result that was hugely disappointing, but we were a different team then, so they won't find it easy this time round. I'm going for my usual 3-1 (though i suspect it might be closer!)

 

I have a shirt signed by the WFC first team and i have taken to getting the Oppo manager to sign the program and some of the players too. The biggest was Harry Redknap in the FA cup. I will have to attempt to get NA.

He seems ok. A 2.8 card to game average, so it should be a flowing match hopefully.

 

If we can't beat Watford, well, we don't deserve promotion.

 

True.
We didn't beat Doncaster and Bristol City though.

 

lmao!

 

lmao!

 

Well the last time a team said that or something similar we ended up winning. So feel free to underestimate us. We love being the underdogs.